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Cruise Ship Navigates Enormous Waves in Drake Passage
Passengers aboard a cruise ship experienced formidable 40ft waves while traversing the tempestuous waters of the infamous Drake Passage. The Drake Passage, known for its rough seas, presented a harrowing journey for the cruise ship and those on board as it encountered the massive swells. A travel blogger documented the dramatic scenes as the vessel battled towering waves.
Dramatic Footage Captures Ocean Explorer Battling Giant Swells
Lesley Ann Murphy, a travel blogger sailing on Quark Expeditions’ Ocean Explorer, recorded breathtaking footage of the ship navigating colossal waves and crashing water. Her video showcased the intense conditions in the Drake Passage, a stretch of water between South America and Antarctica renowned for its unpredictable and often violent seas.
Murphy estimated some waves reached heights of 30 to 40 feet, as depicted in her video where they loomed over the vessel and pounded against the window panes. The alarming clip, shared on Instagram, showed numerous passengers congregating at expansive windows to witness the immense blue waves surge upwards before violently impacting the viewing platform.
The frothy white water slammed against the walls, causing the ship to rock violently, throwing people off balance and to the floor. One scene captured a group of passengers scrambling from side to side as the boat swayed intensely in the currents. A television set swung precariously from a wall, highlighting the sheer force of the waves.
Showing remarkable defiance, one man attempted to maintain his footing on the rolling deck like a surfer as a gigantic wave formed in front of the vessel. In her video caption, Murphy described the experience of sailing through the Drake Passage as a ’48-hour rollercoaster’, emphasizing the relentless motion and intensity of the journey through these notorious waters.
Terrifying footage captured the moment huge waves crashed into a cruise ship as it sailed through the Drake Passage
Massive swells of water surrounded the boat and made it rock from side to side
Travel blogger Lesley Ann Murphy said the waves were between 30 to 40 feet
‘Drake Shake’ Experience Documented by Passengers
‘I am proud to say we survived not one but two Drake Shakes! For context, the Drake Passage is the body of water between the tip of Argentina and Antarctica. It’s infamous for its extremely rough seas,’ she wrote, coining the term “Drake Shake” to describe the intense turbulence.
‘If you’re lucky, you get the Drake Lake. If you’re like us, you get the Drake Shake with 35 ft waves.’ Murphy contrasted the potentially calm “Drake Lake” with their tumultuous “Drake Shake” experience. ‘Yes, we were safe and it was insane…and at times, even fun? 1000% worth it for this trip of a lifetime!,’ she added, highlighting the adventurous spirit despite the challenging conditions.
‘We were told to stay in our cabins for an entire afternoon yesterday, and there were definitely some silver linings amongst this whole ordeal…we got some down time, we laughed *a lot*, I processed some of this amazing voyage, I FaceTimed my girls and I learned that wildly enough…I don’t get seasick!’ Murphy recounted, finding positives even amidst the confinement and rough voyage.
Previous Encounters with Drake Passage Storms
Murphy is not the only one to have encountered the formidable waves of this region. In the previous year, video footage emerged showing a luxury cruise liner navigating a severe storm off Antarctica. This earlier clip captured waves nearing 100ft crashing against the vessel, inundating the deck with freezing seawater.
The Atlas World Voyager cruise ship was crossing the Drake Passage when it encountered a punishing tempest. Gales reaching 115mph whipped the sea into a frenzy, propelling 30-meter (93ft) waves into the luxury yacht during its perilous journey. The gripping video, recorded from the deck, illustrated how the yacht was lifted to the crest of immense waves before tilting sharply and plunging several stories downwards.
People were seem running through a corridor before bashing into the walls as the boat swayed in the rocky waters
Passengers were seen gathering around a huge window to watch the monster waves hit the vessel
One man was seen attempting to balance as the boat made its way through the rough waters
The water could be seen smashing into the windows from cabins on board the ship
Navigating Treacherous Waters and North Sea Incidents
Tables, chairs, sun loungers and various debris were seen floating around after the deck was overwhelmed by the deluge. Despite the harsh conditions, the crew skillfully navigated the treacherous waters, and the yacht reached its destination, Ushuaia in southern Argentina, without significant damage. The yacht successfully traversed the Drake Passage despite the challenging environment.
The same outcome was not experienced by MS Maud, a Norwegian cruise liner sailing in the North Sea shortly before Christmas 2023. A freak wave struck the ship with such intensity that it lost power and became adrift. MS Maud was approximately 162 miles off the west coast of Denmark and about 217 miles off the east coast of Britain when the colossal wave shattered bridge windows.
The ship, carrying 400 passengers and crew, had embarked on a 14-day Northern Lights expedition departing from Tilbury on December 9, scheduled to return to the Essex port on December 23. Dramatic footage obtained by MailOnline reveals the precise moment the rogue wave impacted, rendering the ship unnavigable and necessitating a tow to Germany.
The passenger who filmed the incident recounted: ‘I had the bridge camera showing on the TV to try to stop dizziness and just randomly decided to film it! As soon as the wave struck, the TV screen went blank and the ship’s horn distress signal sounded so I knew something was wrong,’ illustrating the sudden and impactful nature of the wave strike and its immediate consequences.